


On the Backs of Eagles 2: Nightmares and Fiddles

by Jon



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hobbit Kink Meme, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-08
Updated: 2013-01-08
Packaged: 2017-11-24 02:56:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/629547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jon/pseuds/Jon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The conclusion of my fic <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/617745"> On the Backs of Eagles </a>.</p>
<p>Nori learns what Dwalin's walls protect, and helps knock them down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the Backs of Eagles 2: Nightmares and Fiddles

**Author's Note:**

> The end of the story. Thanks for reading! I've enjoyed writing it so much.

Dwalin had hidden it well, Nori had thought. It was only the first time they had bedded down together when it had come into focus.

 

At Beorn's house, they all revelled in the chance to sleep in proper beds again, the older dwarves close to moaning in relief as they sank down into their piles of warm furs in front of the fire with a strong wooden roof overhead.

 

Dwalin, hesitantly, had pulled Nori to one side and suggested they bed down near each other. He looked tired though, and his shoulders fell in a slump when he'd removed Grasper and Keeper from his back, and he groaned as the weight was shod. They'd moved their beds to behind a wooden beam and up some stairs, with the only company being a way away down the small flight. It was a secluded, peaceful space. The whole house and outside hummed with an almost spiritual aura; one of protection and calm, and Nori was glad to see this as well echoed in Dwalin's face. He was less alert and less stressed, which Nori approved of. He stretched out his back as Dwalin lay down spread-eagled on the heap of blankets, a contented smile on his face and his clothes flung haphazardly on the floor next to him, so he rested only in his light shirt and trousers.

 

'Come join me, trouble,' the older dwarf had growled, sleepily opening one eye. Nori mockingly huffed and nudged him in his side with a steel-toe cap, but plopped himself down next to the other. He didn't mind being called this- though it was something both of his brothers and mother had called him on many occasions, and it was still a bit unsettling for someone who, up until recently, had looked on him with scorn.

 

He didn't know what had made Dwalin change his mind.

 

His first exchange with the intimidating warrior had been terrifying, if he admitted it to himself, and seeing the dwarf at Bag End had almost made him want to high-tail it back to Ered Luin. He still remembered the sheer force he'd felt in his body as he'd thrown him down on their first encounter- and seeing those infamous knuckle dusters displayed to him over the hobbit's dining room table had drained the colour from his face.

 

He mused, as he lay curled next to Dwalin- almost on top of his chest- that it was after he'd been sitting one night with Ori at the fire. The next day, he'd noticed a definite change- a subtle one; a nod of the head, a word to him then and there, and with each passing day, each passing week, something in his eyes had grown. Something which made Nori tremble, but not this time out of fear.

 

And here they were now.

 

Dwalin smoothed his fingers though Nori's hair- loosening it up and combing it out. Nori leant back into his touch, and the other dwarf took advantage of his exposed neck.

 

Nori hadn't taken a lover in a while, and urged Dwalin's lips on, down to his collarbones, and pushed at his fingers to move and undo his shirt ties. Dwalin was unexpectedly gentle, and in a whisper in the semi-darkness Nori reminded him that he might be slighter than Dwalin, but he wasn't going to get crushed.

 

His head was still spinning from their first kiss, emphasised by the giddy, boyish emotions coursing through his veins at Dwalin's touch. On the back of the eagle, Nori had clung to Dwalin, in lust and to not see the drop below them- but neither he nor his lover had cared to what the others had thought of them if they had seen. (They hadn't, or if they had, they didn't speak to them).

 

On solid earth, they had shared a barest touch of their hands, and a look which spoke more than tongues- and Nori swore he saw a blush in the tall dwarf's cheeks. They hadn't even looked at each other until now.

 

Nori was moaning as Dwalin kissed more of his exposed skin- and felt his lust re-awakening, growling out Dwalin's name as he felt his teeth scrape.

But his head didn't make the journey downwards, and he propped his chin up on his hand before Nori's trousers could be undone, smiling apologetically up at him.

'To be honest Nori, I'm fuckin' exhausted. I'd rather have a solid night's rest and be able to perform well tomorrow,' he said, dropping a soft kiss to Nori's bare stomach.

 

Nori snorted and shrugged off the rest of his shirt, not needing to sleep in one now that they were out of the Wild.

'Fine, but are you sure you'll be able to resist with me up against ya all night? I sleep naked!' he said, and punctuated the last sentence by lobbing his balled up shirt at Dwalin's head.

Dwalin grinned and hooked his fingers in the belt loops of Nori's trousers, slowly pulling them down off of the other's arse and over his hips. Nori hastily undid his buttons, cursing the fact that he'd chosen to take an insufferable tease as his bedmate.

'I can sleep like a log- by the looks of things it's you who's going to be in trouble,' Dwalin said with a wink, eyeing Nori's underthings, where he ran his finger over a hardening ridge.

Nori could have done with some knuckledusters of his own, or maybe Dori's mace to punish Dwalin for that. He instead took off his boots and flung them at Dwalin, who dodged them and rolled over with the blanket over his head.

'Good night, you big hulking arsehole!' he snarled, but as soon as their candles were extinguished he crawled up close, again sinking into Dwalin's welcome, warm embrace.

 

To feel the breath of another on his cheek, to feel safe and accepted as he lay in bed- _that_ was intoxicating. It was something he'd desperately missed in the last few years being on and off the run, at home and away from home. He'd not felt safe enough to love another, apart from his ma and brothers- who he'd love until he took his dying breath. He'd not felt _worthy_ enough to love another, to drag an innocent into the mess that was his life of lies, secrecy and nights in holding cells.

 

Despite having some misgivings, even now still knocking around in his over active mind, Dwalin's no-nonsense and honest nature grounded him, and made him think that there was at least one person who didn't have a hidden agenda against him. Above all, Dwalin had his trust. And Nori knew, had made a pledge to himself a thousand times or more since setting off on this Quest, that this would be the start he wanted- the start he could make work for himself, away from the impending irreversible sentence in Ered Luin or the even darker cells of Men.

 

In his most pleasant thoughts, the sort he used to comfort himself on long, tiresome nights where sleep was evading him, he could his brothers beaming at him, proud of him. They were in Erebor now, with everything Dori and ma had struggled to get him through the years: a respectable job and status, with no vendetta against the guards of the city.

 

But now, the Quest was a start to a life- he dared to dream- with someone who would be there for him.

 

He dared to dream. He had to.

 

Nori drank in these new feelings to the last drop, and fought the urge to kiss Dwalin's full lips again as he drifted off, or bury his face in his chest and taste the skin there.

 

With a last thought before sleep took him as well, he thought of his brothers, who lay sleeping together by the fire, as Ori said he was surely catching a chill. Dori had seemed easier with him of late- held his head up higher when talking to him. Ever had he been one to sneak into cells at night and pay a hefty bail, then greet him with a long-lasting cold wall of silence on their way home- often refusing to acknowledge him completely in public when they were together. He mused that his relationship with Dori was the best it had ever been since his adolescent years- where he and Dori could just sit and talk, and laugh together with little jibes at the other which didn't blow out of proportion, and where Ori wasn't a source of tension who looked up to the wrong brother, but a source of joy who had come into his own...

 

**

 

A few hours later- Nori awoke with a start which sat him bolt upright. It took him a few moments to fully come to his senses in the darkness, but he could hear something which put him instantly on edge, a whimpering, high-pitched sound out of place with the tranquillity of the house.

 

It took him a further second to realise the noises were coming from beside him, and his heart stopped dead in his chest. He scrabbled for a candle, but his fingers didn't find one, nor anything to light it with if he did.

 

'Dwalin! _Dwalin_?' he hissed, not wanting to cause a commotion and the others to come running.

 

Dwalin shook underneath the covers- but it wasn't cold enough to warrant it. He was moaning like a sick animal, and as Nori reached out to him, he could feel his underthings sodden with cold sweat. In a blind panic, Nori hissed his name again, trying to prise the larger dwarf's hands from his beard, where they clutched and pulled in anguish.

 

Suddenly, the hands opened up, and forcefully grabbed his wrists- in a heartbeat Nori was on the floor with Dwalin pinning him, his wide eyes wild under his sweat-slicked brow, but unfocussed- as if he were still in a waking dream.

'YOU WON'T TAKE HIM!' he shouted- and then fell silent, his eyes glazed over and his lips trembling.

 

A sad comprehension slowly dawned on Nori. He lay still and quiet, knowing Dwalin's nightmare would pass soon, and he could offer him what comfort he sought. After a few seconds of being stiff and upright, Dwalin's shoulders relaxed and his body crumpled to one side, lying motionless.

 

Nori thought he had fallen to sleep again, and settled back on his elbows, his own heartbeat still racing and blood rushing through his veins. He half wondered if he should keep some sort of watch- or if Dwalin had forgotten it in the morning, to just ignore it. He knew how proud he was about his own insecurities, and Dwalin was not one to take lightly from someone, especially a lover, pointing out his weaknesses.

 

Nori had just made a decision to let it be for tonight, when Dwalin spoke- and Nori flinched in surprise.

 

'Azanulbizar.'

 

And that was enough.

 

All of these years he had hidden it so well, Nori thought. He laid back down, spooning him from behind and ran a hand through Dwalin's hair. He knew of the battle- whose name dwarves dared not to speak- but he couldn't even comprehend what Dwalin had gone through, and had gone through just a few seconds ago in his mind.

'I'm so sorry,' he whispered.

 

**

 

In the morning, Dwalin rolled over and greeted him with a strained smile. He was tired- he _looked_ tired.

He yanked the blankets over both their heads, the dawn light turning to a deep dark orange glow in the comforting tent over them. Their breaths mixed, and Dwalin's lips were tantalisingly close, but Nori waited.

 

After a pause, Dwalin gently brought his forehead to touch his. It was the utmost gesture of respect that he had never recieved- from his family or 'friends'. It was a gesture for honourable people. He didn't know what to do.

 

Nori brought his hands up his face to hold the fingers which supported his chin and cheek, and closed his eyes. They must have stayed like that for a while; when they parted, they heard breakfast being got ready a while away down stairs.

 

'Sorry to have scared you last night,' said Dwalin. Nori shook his head, not knowing whether to distract Dwalin with a joke or to let him carry on. Dwalin looked ashamed of himself as Nori had predicted, and he was focussing anywhere but Nori's eyes. The younger dwarf laid his head to rest on his chest, and placed a kiss on the bald crown, which had the desired effect of making Dwalin chuckle.

'It's happened for as long as I can remember after the battle. It never stops- happens most nights. It's why I don't... I never sleep close to the group. No one-' he brought his head up, looking imploringly at Nori, 'no one knows.'

 

'I just... I just want to know how I can help,' Nori whispered helplessly.

 

'Y' already are.'

 

** 

 

Nori was about to overheat and something dug into his back, but he wouldn't give up this position for the world. He was pressed up against the wooden wall of Beorn's house, his legs set in a wide stance. Below him, Dwalin kneeled, his mouth driving his lover to the brink of pleasure.

 

He could smell dinner cooking far off and the clatter of pots and pans- some vegetables in a broth no doubt as had been all the other bloody nights- and this was a signal for him to stay utterly silent as he was sucked.

'Oh praise to Mahal-' he groaned, as Dwalin set his thighs over his shoulders, swatting his underclothes down and away from his ankles. His legs pressed to the sides of Dwalin's face, his huge hands steadying them, and he was sure he was about to scream his name, as that sinfully good mouth angled to get him even deeper, though he was already sheathed whole down his throat. He felt his groin tighten as Dwalin moaned around his cock in frustration- unable but desperate to bring himself off, as his hands were around Nori's legs, scraping down his hips.

'Mahal- I'm coming... _I'm coming_ \- don't you dare stop, _don't you fucking_ -'

'NORI! Where are you- dinner's ready!' called his little brother.

 

**

 

That night...

The creak of the floorboards was surely going to give them away, but after their ill-fated attempt at a quick fuck that afternoon had been scuppered, there was no other way that this. Dinner had almost been unbearable, and Nori sincerely reckoned he would take a fork to Ori's eye. Dwalin looked ready to pick up his warhammer and smash the whole house down, and ate nought but a hunk of bread, looking listlessly at the boiled vegetables. Nori tried not to give away too much of his filthy thoughts eyes fixed on the way Dwalin licked his lips at him. He might not have an appetite for food tonight, but he was still ravenously hungry... and as a matter of fact, so was he.

 

Now, he felt the incessant tug of his hair and heavy fingers intent unravelling his meticulous braids. In other circumstances he would slap the hands away and hiss a word at him, but his mouth was full and his lust still unabated.

' _God_ , this is too good... y' too filthy,' moaned Dwalin. Nori's tongue slid over his sack and sucked lightly, rolling the testicles there in his fingers and probing with the other hand underneath to get at Dwalin's arsehole. The other dwarf moaned louder as Nori slipped a well-licked finger inside, prompting him to tell him to shut his gob lest they get found in this rather compromising position- with Dwalin pushing and pulling his head at the same time, thrusting into his mouth.

 

Nori wondered how far he would allow him with his arse-play; would fingering be enough for the mighty and proud son of Fundin, or would he melt with his tongue inside him, allowing himself to be eaten deeply and thoroughly, groaning in lust and shame at the same time?

His tongue found itself in his tight heat, and Dwalin's back arched clean off their bed, his mouth flung open in a voiceless cry, pulling sharply at Nori's braids and making him yelp- but he couldn't draw back, not with Dwalin pulling him closer with every gasp he drew.

 

'By the gods... never... never done- this is-' he stuttered, and Nori felt pride course through him at rendering Dwalin incoherent. His broad back flexed as it was now his turn to put his legs over Nori's shoulders, and Nori relished it.

 

He drove his tongue into Dwalin's hole, fucking him as he longed to be fucked by him, hard and fast and relentless and messy. Dwalin had grabbed his cock, and had started to pant now, the sounds of his hand moving desperately over his thick erection filling Nori's ears- making him groan into the hole he licked.

'More... more... more,' Dwalin panted, drawing him in closer. Nori couldn't see his face, but the tremors racking his body signalled the end approaching, and his fingers joined his tongue by circling gently, teasingly around his hole, and Nori drew back slightly, now licking and kissing up the sensitive area behind Dwalin's balls, up and over each tight testicle, and then back down to slip his tongue in again, determined to push Dwalin over the edge.

 

 

Dwalin came _hard,_ drowning his cry of completion by stuffing his fingers into his own mouth. When Dwalin's legs had finally dropped to either side of him and released Nori from their vice-like grip, he drew back to survey the damage he'd caused, and considered it a job well done- the irreparable mess to his hair worth every drop of come that coated Dwalin's shaking hand and stomach, and to see Dwalin's dazed smile made him grin in spite of his aching cock.

 

'Don't you go to sleep now, it's my turn,' he whispered.

 

After slowly getting Dwalin hot and bothered again, and being hammered until breathless, Nori had hoped their fucking would be enough to tire Dwalin out. For his own flattery, and for another- more sobering reason.

 

It wasn't.

 

That, or the hellish memory of Azanulbizar was too much for even bone-deep relaxation to stave away. For the second night in a row, Dwalin found himself in Nori's arms in the early hours of the second morning, gritting his teeth as his tears washed the remnants of his pride away.

 

**

 

They left Beorn's house after a fortnight- and left safety behind them as they were lead to the eaves of Mirkwood. Dwalin took his usual spot away from the Company when they slept, and not ready for 'the conversation' just yet, Nori kept a spot by his brothers. When they'd ask him where he'd been at Beorn's house, he said nothing- claiming he wanted his own space, which had been true enough. Of course Dori wasn't thick- neither was Ori- but the longer Nori kept his silence, the quicker he hoped they'd drop any questioning.

 

Dwalin understood Nori's reluctance to be open with his relationship now. The Company had too much to worry about now, and this new development could affect the bond between Dwalin and the rest of the Brothers Ri, and perhaps some of the other elders, something for Thorin's sake neither Dwalin or Nori could chance. And though they'd snuck away from the Company a few times for kisses and brief, quick touches- it felt taboo and unfulfilling.

 

Dwalin privately thought Nori was fighting a losing battle in keeping their relationship from Dori in particular. Nori conceded this. Ever had he been a nosey old cow- useful in some respects (especially for inside information), but never had he kept a secret from his elder brother before. Their closeness had also been noted by Thorin, who had pulled Dwalin aside one night. He had tried to ignore their hushed, earnest voices, and Thorin's increasingly frustrated glances to him, and back to Dwalin- as if _pitying_ him.

 

He'd taken watch that night to sit up and tend the fire- for his heart burned with anger. If Thorin was about to plead with Dwalin to stop his affections, Nori swore he'd sooner leave and find his way back to the Blue Mountains. He shoved the rest of the poker-stick into the fire in disgust, and heard it crackle menacingly in response.

 

From the shadows under the nearest tree, he could also hear another noise, and grabbed his knife from his boot, squinting.

 

His heart plummeted as he saw Dwalin's bedroll.

 

**

 

The clean up operation was already under full sway in the Valley- but the Battle of Five Armies had almost razed Esgaroth to the ground. Or rather, the water, Nori thought- his dry, black humour never failing to ashame and amuse him.

 

As he trudged up to the Gates of Erebor, he saw Dwalin and Dain deep in conversation. He halted, not wishing to intrude in such matters which was not his place. He sighed, running a filthy hand through his hair, which he'd given up with long ago. He contemplated his options- stand around awkwardly, or go over and stand beside Dwalin. Ever it was made apparent to him: Dwalin would become a fine lord of dwarves, one of Dain's most trusted advisers and renowned for his feats in battles from here to the Blue Mountains. And what was he, Nori, but a renowned thief from here to the Blue Mountains- as the fighters drafted in from the Iron Hills cared to remind him, with snide remarks and sniggers behind his back.

_What does he even care for you now?_ A dark little voice hissed inside Nori's mind. _He has a kingdom now. He's probably forgotten those few fucks you had..._

 

Dwalin looked up from Dain (the new King Under the Mountain was considerably shorter than him), and caught Nori's eye. He gave an awkward wave- feeling more like a third wheel than ever.

_Just go- go now, go home and forget it._

 

Dwalin smiled at him, waving him over. The sun shone on him, glancing off the huge broken statues of dwarves and into his face- which although bloody and dirty, beamed at him.

'May I introduce, my King, Nori- my beloved.'

 

** 

 

'You're holding it all wrong.'

'Shut up, you _graceful fairy._ '

'I'm not, I'm just good with m' hands- _Nori, I didn' mean_ -'

 

Nori stuck his tongue out in an attempt to correct his grip on the neck of Dwalin's fiddle, but the furred cuffs of his jacket got in his way. Dwalin sat behind him, positioning his shoulders (' _ow! I'm not that bendy_!'), laughing softly as his lover attempted to learn the fiddle, as he'd drunkenly promised a week ago at the King's coronation. It had been a splendid affair, and they both had drunk too much. And they both hadn't cared for the inquisitive looks thrown their way, as Nori buried his head in Dwalin's collar, collapsing into giggles as Dwalin inhaled in his hair, the elegant braids masking a kiss he placed there. Dwalin still remembered- he smelled of that new hair oil he'd bought for him from the market, the kind which smelled of lavender and spices. He also remembered Dori's slight grin and simple nod as the pair of them had stumbled into the feasting hall afterwards.

 

 

'How's this?'

'That's fine- now, place the bow like _so_.'

 

By the end of the night, and after Nori threatening all sorts of ill will on Dwalin more than once, he finally got the hang of a simple child's song. He played it haltingly and with much assistance, but Dwalin had applauded all the same as Nori stood up and bowed low to his audience. But the hour was late, and the candles were burning out.

 

Dwalin settled next to Nori as he'd always had since they first got their room here- almost immediately the older dwarf was asleep (it must be the scent of his hair- Nori admitted it had a soporific effect on them both).

 

Nori stripped his shirt and groaned slightly as he rested his head back against the pillow- when something struck him.

 

Absent mindedly, he stroked the scar that ran down his lover's face from skull to cheek, but now even that looked oddly peaceful.

 

 

Dwalin hadn't had a nightmare for seven days.

 


End file.
